For some cultivation of potatoes – way to support itself and the family during the long winter, others put small bed to regale at the end of summer on fresh potatoes. Anyway, potatoes need to be dug out correctly not to spoil harvest.
It is required to you
- - shovel;
- - pitchfork;
- - assistant;
- - motor-block;
- - tractor.
Instruction
1. Choose dry serene day, it is better windy (that tubers have better dried). Begin to remove early grades of potatoes in August, and late – in September. Look at tops of vegetable – if it still green, strong, wait a little. In case the tops of vegetable has dried up, has whithered or is eaten by bugs, it is a high time to begin excavation of harvest.
2. Dig out small bed independently or with the assistant. Take spade or pitchfork and thrust to the earth approximately in 15-20 cm from bush. Press handle as the lever and verify earth lump. At the same time hold bush with hand and pull up.
3. If at once it was not succeeded to pull out potato bush with earth lump, dig once again, a little closer. Get lump and shake the excess earth, remove tubers. It will be more convenient if your assistant is engaged in it.
4. For processing of the big site find or buy the motor-block - with it process will go much quicker and with smaller physical efforts. Before work clean the field from garbage, weeds and the dried leaves.
5. Adjust motor-block course depth so that the kopalka leaned on firm soil layer, but not on top, friable. Pass several meters and estimate quality of vskopka – if among the dug-out potato there are damaged tubers, increase depth of the course and repeat tests.
6. That the motor-block did not leave aside and the tubers lying between ranks at first were not damaged dig potatoes through row. Having removed tubers and tops of vegetable, walk on the remained ranks.
7. Commercially or on big field try to find more serious equipment. It can be the tractor with special harrow or, as a last resort, horse. Consider that previously it was necessary to plant potatoes under this harrow, that is before landing to dig up the field the same tractor.
8. Put the dug-out potatoes on the outspread tarpaulin, bags or just on the earth that tubers were aired and dried. If on the street it is damp, carry out drying in the dark room.